Improvement in means for restraining the recoil of ordnance



N. WRD.

Means for-Restraining the YRecoil of Urdnahce'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN WIARD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPRovEMENT IN MEANS FoR REsTRAlNlNe 'rl-IE Recon. oF oRDNANcE. l

Specification formir g part of Letters Patent No. 157,053, dated November 17, 1874; application lfiled August 1s, 1814.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN WIRD, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Restraining the Recoil of Heavy Ordnance, of which the following is a specification: c

My invention relates to certain new and v usefulimprovements in apparatus for restraining the recoil of heavy ordnance by means of snulobing-ropes; and its object is to provide a and the apparatus for its' employment is necessarily heavy and cumbersome,and requires to be securely attached to the carriage. It cannot be removed or replaced with facility, and has to remain attached to the gun while not in use, and it soon becomes unreliable or useless from exposure. v

My invention consists of one or more snubhing-ropes passing around sheaves, or a capstan attached to the carriage in on'e or more turns, and fastened and secured at their front and rear ends to the ways on which the gun, travels, either by means of hooks or loops, which may be secured over suitable pins, 1 hooks, or other fastenings attached to said ways, or over cleatsattached to said ways, by one or more wraps around the same, after the manner of securing a boat to awharf.

I .the drawing, Figure l' represents a longitudi/nal sectional view of my invention, and Fig; 2 is a top View of the same.

A represents a gun-carriage constructed as usual, and B the platform having ways upon its top, on which the carriage travels. Near the front end of the carriage I arrange one or more sheaves, C, transversely across the same, upon axles or shafts D. In the drawing I have shown four sheaves, C C CIC, one at each end of two shafts, D D.'l The ratchet-wheels E E are A rigidly attached to the sheaves or drums, so as to move with said sheaves for running the gun forward after the recoil. Between the shafts on which the sheaves are mounted is arranged a shaft or journal running parallel with the sheaves, and preferably provided at l each end with suitable friction-rollers. These rollers are arranged between the sheaves which bear against them, and their object is to support the sheaves and prevent them from being crushed together. nals which support the sheaves are provided with pawls F F and ratchet-wheels E E, which tion and keeping the carriage down upon the ways B', and are attached by means of a loop secured over a pin passing through slotted standards G G attached to thefrnt of ihe platform B. They may, however, be secured in any other manner that may be desired. .I have found cleats to be avery efficient means of securing them, as they can be securely and expeditiously fastened by taking one or two turns around said cleats in the same manner as that in which a boat is secured to a wharf when landing. The rear ends of the -ropes may be fastened in the same manner as the front ends, or they may be held in the hands of the gunners. I prefer, however, to fasten them, as shown in the drawing, by means of a volute, spiral, or other spring, H, secured to a shaft, J, carrying a-.drum, K, restrained from moving in one direction by means of a pawl and ratchet, L, so that the tension of the ropes may be regulated. The drum may be provided with apertures for the insertion of a bar or lever for the purpose of turning it.

Instead of the sheaves, as above described,

a capstan or drum may be employed between l The shafts or jourthe sides of the carriage, and the snnbbingropes passed around the same and secured in the same manner -s when the sheaves are used.

What L claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the snubbing-ropes E E, the springs H H attached to shaft J, and drum K controlled by pawl F and ratchetwheel L, for the purpose of regulating the tension of the snubbing-ropes, as described.

2. The method of restraining the recoil of guns by means of one or more snubbing-ropes passing over one or more sheaves, or their equivalent, attached to the gun-carriage, the said ropes being secured at each end of the NORMAN WIARD. Witnesses:

ALBERT H. NoRRIs, JAMES L. NoRRIs. 

